TringSaintWith only a handful of supporters and a desire to drive down the shortfall, it’s the only option to hike season ticket prices.
As others have said, wheels, wagon, fallen off!!

Isn't this a little premature? They may well win the Premiership this season and were this any season other than one post-Lions then they probably would have challenged for the Champions Cup too. Obviously behind the scenes at Allianz Park there is a great deal of readjustment happening, and if they have to join the rest of us in the real world then that is only a good thing but the wheels haven't fallen off quite yet.

Before we get too precious, lets not forget that certain areas of FG have been re-categorized for next season albeit with some respite ( temporary ? ) for existing STH's in the areas affected. Let us not forget that concessions are also not available in some parts of the stadium.

It just goes to show how unhealthy rugby is. Clubs are making huge losses despite increases in sponsorship and airtime and money from the rfu. Fans are being squeezed for everything they have at club rugby and international games. Players wages keep rising. The A league is not working. We are at the whim of tv companies regarding scheduling. Rugby will soon reach a point of no return. I’d be happy to bring down the salary cap by £500k scrap marquee signings and allow clubs some breathing space. Rugby is not popular enough in the UK and attendances are not high enough for liberties to be taken like in football.

MarchingInPersonally, I think they need something bigger and better on the underground network

Too right. I live in North London and it takes me nearly the same amount of time to get to games at Allianz Park as it does to Franklin's Gardens! Thank goodness it's only once a season, it's one of my least favourite grounds to visit (regardless of Saints performances there).

andysaintIt just goes to show how unhealthy rugby is. Clubs are making huge losses despite increases in sponsorship and airtime and money from the rfu. Fans are being squeezed for everything they have at club rugby and international games. Players wages keep rising. The A league is not working. We are at the whim of tv companies regarding scheduling. Rugby will soon reach a point of no return. I’d be happy to bring down the salary cap by £500k scrap marquee signings and allow clubs some breathing space. Rugby is not popular enough in the UK and attendances are not high enough for liberties to be taken like in football.

+1, but flip side, if you dropped the cap, what would happen with squad sizes, look at squad sizes over the last couple of years, across the board they have mostly shrunk!

the increase of salary cap was meant to enable bigger squads, if you drop the cap you likely to put more onto the players... Maybe have a mandatory A league?, so your cap has to have a squad big enough for this as well?

its an increase in professional agents getting involved now days.

Or come to an agreement with the Players Union over salaries and time playing? to look at lowering both?

I doubt that the "wheels will fall off", but it will be interesting to observe a possible gradual diminution in the size and/or quality of the Sarries' squad. They have loads of talented youngsters coming through, but their salary demands will shoot up in due course as each contract comes up for renewal.

Of course, another billionaire backer might appear, but in the meantime they will have to make do with a mere millionaire, who might be unwilling to fund the extra losses caused by two marquee players' salaries, which could be approaching a million pounds a year on top of the cap?

Which reminds me of the old joke: "how do you become a millionaire?" "Make a billion and buy a rugby club".

MarchingInPersonally, I think they need something bigger and better on the underground network

Too right. I live in North London and it takes me nearly the same amount of time to get to games at Allianz Park as it does to Franklin's Gardens! Thank goodness it's only once a season, it's one of my least favourite grounds to visit (regardless of Saints performances there).

That's "typical bloody London". With some trains under 50 minutes now, you could get from Franklin's Gardens to Euston in an hour. There are parts of zone 2 that are an hour from Euston in the rush hour!

I don't think the relative isolation of Allianz Park from the rail network / underground helps with away attendances as a lot of people have an understandable aversion to venturing inside the M25 by car. I can't help wondering if they'd have been better off finding a ground further out of London if nothing on the transport network was available. They are a bit 'stuck in no man's land' at Allianz Park. I guess they went for it for emotional reasons of being "a proper London club" but even if they get permission to go beyond 10,500 more than once a year, it'll never be ideal location wise.

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